About

What is this blog about anyway?

I've been trying to wrestle down a category for this blog lately, (my frustration was expressed in my "Discovering Your Inner Blog" post.) Well I think I'll take another stab at it today, more likely to satisfy my interests than yours, but here it goes anyways.

A brief History of 47Squared (skip down to the next list if you're already bored at this point):

1. I started this blog way back in 2004, and if you take a look at the archives (on the right), you'll see that this started out as an attempt to express myself, aimed mostly at my close friends, most of the posts weren't very meaningful if you didn't know me.
2. Short, intermittent attempts at jump starting regular posting occurred, still focusing on myself and personal discoveries/statements.
3. On my third revival the first 2 posts still reflected the personal blog approach, but with a fresh name change (it used to be call "The Purpose of Life and Coexistence w/Herbal Tea, yeah I know, I thought it was clever at the time), and a soon to follow, much needed template revamp, it quickly evolved into my posting on random topics. I like to refer to it as the "Seinfeld Doctrine", a blog about nothing (and everything).

So hopefully you skipped past all that crap (blogging baggage, it's annoying isn't it?), and want to find out what this blog is about currently. Well here's the best I came up with:

This has evolved into an experiment, and with any experiment you have an objective and a set of results. So here are 3 objectives and their corresponding results that I'm seeking. (I'm an engineering student, this is how I view life alright?)

1. To discover how many people find what I have to say interesting enough to keep reading. (i.e., subscribers)
2. To keep a log over time and observe how my content shifts, how will my interests evolve with time?
3. And finally, the biggest motivator of them all, money. I've started experimenting with Adsense, and I hope to get to the point where it can pay my monthly internet bill ($30 a month is a modest goal, right?). I've always hated annoying ads, so rest assured, the only ads will be nice, quiet little text ads that are out of the way.
   

So hopefully my third objective won't cause you to lose faith in me, (I doubt the $1.50 a month I am currently making will cause me to sellout and post crappy content anytime soon... wait, I'm giving myself too much credit....)

So if you like what you read, subscribe, keep reading, and we'll see what happens next.

(P.S. I hope you didn't expect me to actually reveal how I came up with the name 47Squared!)

Favorite Youtube Videos

Here are two of my favorite Youtube videos, in the first, a guy named Noah takes a photo of himself for (supposedly) 6 years, and I don't know what it is about the video, maybe it's just the intriguing music, but it kept my attention through all 6 minutes. Apparently it has kept the attention of nearly 9 million other people too.



The second video is of a guy named Matt and is aptly named "Where the Hell is Matt?". In the video Matt dances a silly jig in famous sites all over the world. I dug deeper into the story and found out he took off 6 months and traveled all over because he was bored of working the normal 9 to 5. He received so much attention from his video, that he got sponsored and is on his second tour to make another video.

I must admit, I am very jealous.

Spitting is Rude

This Velvet (Spitting) Worm kind of reminds me of Slimer from Ghostbusters.

The audio is in spanish, but it's the video that is cool. The sheer amount of slime is pretty impressive. And the worm looks so soft and cuddly... (until 1:12 where you see this large, single fang emerge from its mouth).

No Seatbelt Required

Remember spending countless hours sitting on the living room floor playing with those toy steering wheels as a kid? Been wondering what you're gonna do with those old car seats you have lying around? Well, now your fascination with automobiles and sitting on your butt will pay off.

The next best thing to a La-Z-Boy, why not a sleek and economical car seat desk chair? Check out WikiHow’s article on How to Make a Desk Chair out of a Car Seat. For many of us, the most comfortable chair we sit in every day is in our car. Makes sense, they’re designed to minimize fatigue and seat one comfortably for extended periods of time.I bet you could even get a seat with heat and massage, maybe convert it to plug it into your PC's USB drive. Nice!

Now if you feel that this extremely thrifty and versatile project does not compliment your décor, consider making a slipcover out of some leftover fabric or decorate with wooden bead mats. Not only will you get the satisfaction of reducing waste by recycling old junk into a new functional piece, but you’ll be pleased that it reflects your personal style.

But I really Wanted to Go to Mars...sniff....

I was pretty disappointed about this one, Project Virgle is a practical joke. I really wanted to go to mars...



They also offer a Free Wake Up Kit in Google Calendar, which will text you, push you out of bed, or pour water on you to wake you up.

And don't forget the new "I'm feeling lucky" button they added to your event creator in Google Calendar, so far I have a date with Britney Spears and Pamela Anderson....

Google April Fools

(You might have to click this to see it better)

This is what I love about Google, the guys there really have a sense of humor. If you click on this "New Feature" it takes you here, a page that explains how you now have the Custom Time feature that allows you to send emails with an earlier date than the present, essentially sending emails back in time.

It "utilizes an e-flux capacitor" to achieve this, shows an example calculation, and includes testimonials explaining the pros and cons of the feature. Make sure you read it all, (even the fine print at the bottom) it's hilarious.

Google admits they're pulling your leg when you click on any of the links on the bottom:
Terms - Privacy Policy - Program Policies

Thanks to Nigzich for alerting me to this.